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Breastfeeding a child can be a wonderful experience — but it can also be super stressful. Not only is there the pressure of needing to provide all the sustenance for your child (spoiler alert: You don’t need to), there is so much advice out there about eating for postpartum or what foods to avoid or foods that make your baby gassy.
Here we’ll explore some of the best foods for breastfeeding moms — and look into a few myths about what you can’t eat.
What is the best breastfeeding diet for nursing moms?
“You don’t need to eat anything special, just a well-balanced diet and remember to adequately hydrate,” advised Marsha Ungchusri, registered dietitian nutritionist. “This is not the time to cut calories or lose weight.”
Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) Jennifer Ritchie suggests lots of whole grains and vegetables. “Excellent foods to eat include oatmeal, barley, brown rice, beans, sesame, dark green leafy vegetables, apricots, dates, figs, and cooked green papaya,” Ritchie told Mom.com. “These foods boost prolactin levels, the hormone produced by the brain that controls milk production.”
A nutritionally balanced diet includes the following:
Fruits and vegetables
Green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, collards, mustard greens, and fenugreek leaves contain phytoestrogens to aid in milk production, are rich in minerals such as calcium, iron, and folate, and also good sources of riboflavin and beta carotene. Breastfeeding parents are advised to eat one to two portions a day.
Some cultures have traditional foods to aid in recovery and restoring nutrients. “Koreans have seaweed soup (miyuk gook) postpartum,” said Sally Kim to Mom.com. The mother of one further explained, “It’s to help with recovery as well as milk production because of all the nutrients in the kelp.”
For fruits, consider avocados (yes, it’s a fruit), green (unripe) papayas, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, or mangoes. Avocados are high in vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium, and omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids, which help produce rich milk. Green (unripe) papayas boost oxytocin and provide vitamins A, B, C, and E. Strawberries and bananas are full of vitamins and minerals. Mangoes and blueberries are full of antioxidants and vitamins, too.
Whole grains
The most common (and easiest to make) whole grain is oatmeal. If you’re sick of oatmeal and oatmeal-containing products, you can try barley, whole grain brown rice, and even beers like Guinness. (Yes, you can have a beer while breastfeeding – see more about that below.)
Lean protein
Experts suggest including three servings of lean protein daily for healthy breastfeeding. Some lean protein sources are eggs, lentils, milk, yogurt, cheese, chicken, fish, lean beef, quinoa, seeds, and soy.
Mom Crystal Turnau likes the convenience of granola bars. “Protein-rich granola bars are easy to grab and eat while holding a baby,” she told Mom.com. “The protein will help keep hunger at bay longer, and the oats help with milk supply.”
Healthy fats
Some sources of healthy fats are nuts, seeds, avocados, and olive oil. You can also eat oily fish like salmon or mackerel, but due to possible pollutants, keep your portions to fewer than two (5 oz) portions of salmon or mackerel and no more than one portion of swordfish, shark, or marlin. (This applies to when you eat sushi, too.)
Lots of water and liquids
Breast milk is around 88% water, so proper hydration is vital. If plain water isn’t your thing, Tanay Howard suggested a substitute. “Coconut water is a great source of vitamins and minerals,” the mother of two young boys told Mom.com. “It’s also good for electrolytes and a good substitute for drinks like Gatorade/Powerade which are high in sodium.”
What are you allowed to eat or drink while breastfeeding?
According to Ritchie, there are many myths and old-wives’ tales about what you can and cannot eat while breastfeeding. “For example, eating spicy food or broccoli will not make your baby gassy and fussy, but a glass of milk or some chocolate-covered almonds can,” Ritchie said. “The food needs to contain a protein that enters the mother’s bloodstream in order to enter the breast milk, so most foods simply change the flavor of the milk but don’t cause issues.”
While the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advises that avoiding alcohol is the safest option for breastfeeding mothers, if you want to drink alcohol or eat food with alcohol in it, alcohol is a fast-acting drug, and moderate drinking (up to one standard drink per day) is not considered dangerous to infants. Wait at least two hours after each drink before breastfeeding, like the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends.
Keep in mind that chronic, long-term alcohol consumption can drastically impair judgement and be potentially harmful to a developing infant, and even one heavy night of binge-drinking can lower your milk supply.
Try these foods to help produce more breast milk
Women worldwide eat different foods to increase their milk supply such as oats, barley, barley mash, fennel and fenugreek seeds, papaya, brewer’s yeast, garlic, almonds, flaxseed and flaxseed oil, sesame seeds, legumes like chickpeas, and even lactation teas (and muffins and cookies) can all help boost your milk supply.
But for some of us, the last thing we want is to remember yet another list about what we should or shouldn’t be eating. For those of you in that boat, consider trying some quick and easy recipes for lactation boosting foods such as bone broth and smoothies.
As with all supplements and foods, moderation is key. When in doubt, please consult with your doctor. Remember that some “natural remedies” may contain ingredients that aren’t regulated and are not safe and may cause dangerous side effects for some people.
